-
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer
Alongside all the standard array of playing jerseys (home, away, third alternates for outfield players and a whole other set for goalkeepers), clubs also kit out their players and staff in a whole range of pre-match apparel.
Whereas most match-worn shirts are gradually becoming more abstract and experimental, most tend to stick rather conservatively to variations of traditional club colours.
When it comes to the kits worn by players during the warmup, however, all bets are off. Designers have been given freedom to express themselves, give life to their wildest creative visions and make a statement that commands the world sits up and takes notice.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all artistic triumphs. With free rein, there is always the danger that things can go off the rails — and we’re here for it.
Here is a selection of the warmup kits worn by star players in leagues across Europe this season — including the Premier League, LaLiga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 — that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. And if you disagree with the verdicts, then that’s fine. It’s art, after all.
THE GOOD
Milan have got it spot on with their kits this season and the prematch jersey is no exception. The base colour is an off-white tone (putty, bordering on ecru) which has been overlaid with a sumptuously textured golden pattern that — if you care to imagine — resembles a freshly raked golf bunker.
Ajax (Adidas)
Ajax’s warmup top features an intricate pattern made up of hundreds of tiny scrolls, all of which bear the three X’s found on the official flag of Amsterdam. To save you a potentially hazardous internet search, we can tell you that the symbols actually represent the crosses of Saint Andrew and are said to protect the Dutch capital from fire, floods and plague. Sadly, they couldn’t protect last season’s Ajax team from the club’s worst Eredivisie finish this century.
Arsenal have picked up the theme of African heritage which was deployed so well on their 2024-25 away kit and then leapt right off the deep end. The Gunners have a great track record in recent years for pre-match wear with truly over-the-top designs that somehow really hit the mark, and this one is no exception. Expect to see this attain cult status.
Barça bring us a pleasing shade of dark and dusky blue, which is set off by gold trim and a club crest graphic printed in the fabric. Perhaps the odd “envelope” neckline would be our only cause for concern, mainly as it looks like something you tend to dress babies in.
It’s not to everybody’s taste, but we’re slowly coming round to the weirdness that is Chelsea’s “molten metal” kit concept this season. Much like the Blues’ 2024-25 home shirt, the pre-match kit is covered in a scattergun graphic that will surely produce a mesmeric effect if you watched were to see all 43 players currently listed in the club’s first-team squad all warming up together.
A lively reimagining of the Turkish club’s familiar yellow and blue club colours, this pre-match shirt comes with an eye-catching striped pattern that consists of skewed, comb-like lozenges.
For reasons that still aren’t entirely clear, Juventus have run with a celestial theme for all their kits this season and the pre-match effort follows suit. What looks like a polka-dot design from a distance is actually a cool “lunar eclipse” pattern that sees lots of moons being silhouetted by the neon pink and yellow glow of outer space.
A minimalist shirt that could easily pass for a home jersey. The red fabric is printed with an all-over crest graphic, while Liverpool’s traditional colours always pair well with vibrant yellow trim. Using the same template as Barça means this shirt has that same, confusing babygro neckline, but overall it’s a nice jersey.
Lyon (Adidas)
Les Gones have laid a graphic over their warmup shirt that is reminiscent of traditional Japanese wood block art. The wavy print gives off a stirring maritime vibe which is flecked here and there with wisps of red foam. It remains just on the right side of tasteful and avoids tipping over into being overly busy.
Having leaned heavily into nostalgia with this season’s batch of kits, Newcastle have taken a more modern direction with their pre-match shirt. Taking direct inspiration from their nickname, the Magpies have covered the jersey with feathers to create a unique black-and-white wallpaper effect that really is rather striking.
Nobody quite does plain white with as much panache as Real Madrid, whose pre-match shirt is basically a stripped-down interpretation of their standard home colours, but with a nifty star-shaped graphic plastered all over it.
Looking like it could easily pass for an away kit from the mid-2000s, there’s a faint retro tinge to this one. A pristine white field adorned with just a light smattering of tonal red trim on the shoulders and flanks. Buonissimo.
The Spanish side have used a luscious violet base that at first glance looks as though it has rose petals scattered across the torso, like in the film “American Beauty.” In fact, it is a geometric pattern made up of tessellating triangular tiles.
THE BAD
Concrete grey is the new black for Atlético this season, as they have followed up their paving slab-inspired away kit with a matching pre-match jersey.
Dortmund have used their famous home colours to create an accompanying warmup shirt that is covered front and back in a cracked, fractal diamond pattern. The effect brims with kinetic energy, right up until the point it induces a migraine.
Despite being one of the least inspirational themes ever devised for a football shirt, City have taken the Manchester area telephone dialling code concept from their home jersey one step further with their warmup kit. The digits of the “0161” prefix appear in a jumbled pattern woven into the fabric. Excuse us if we don’t take this call.
A rare miss for United this season, who have delivered a batch of incredibly sharp retro-infused match apparel for 2024-25. The warmup shirt bears the same “M” pattern as their new away jersey, but the execution is much clunkier. Dial “M” for “maybe not.”
Using the same “dazzle camouflage” design as their new outfield kits, Saints have created a headache-inducing barrage of intersecting lines, angles and checkers in order to baffle their opponents before kick-off.
Sporting have come up with essentially a black base that has been speckled with a blast of grainy, bright green pixels. It looks like what you would see on the screen when a game crashes on an Atari 800 console (ask your parents.)
THE UGLY
An absolute rotter of a shirt from every angle and viewpoint. Bayern have been decidedly hit and miss with their kit designs for 2024-25, and this jagged mess is firmly in the latter camp.
Benfica have proved beyond doubt that sometimes less is more. The Portuguese club’s warmup top contains so many clashing graphics that the result is a near-instant sense of motion sickness. The shapes are meant to represent the talon marks of an eagle, the club’s emblematic bird of prey, but it looks more like a pile of old discarded hubcaps to us.
Nike are playing fast and loose with Inter’s traditional club colours this year, and the poor Nerazzurri are really being put through the wringer as a result. It’s dour, blotchy and gruesome, three words you would never expect to be associated with Inter when it comes to kits.
Using their traditional club colours, PSG’s warmup shirt faux-paint splatter pattern looks like it has been worn by a painter and decorator during a particularly haphazard house renovation. It’s very messy and there’s just too much going on at once.
Spurs have been foisted with a suspiciously similar “identikit” design to Inter’s. Covered in a speckled, vaguely abstract pattern that appears to involve various random stencils, scribbles and splurges, the design resembles something you’d find upholstering train seats. Dreary stuff.
A pretty dire design from the Hammers here, who have gone for a kind of bleach dye effect but ended up with a shirt that looks like the results of a horrendous night in A&E.